Just Plain Foolish

Just a chance for an old-fashioned, simple storyteller to say what needs to be said.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Loneliness: One Deep Breath

Darling, you don't want to be old,
She confides, sadly.
Old friends die
Bones ache,
Eyes
fade.

Memories skitter
past fading eyes,
wind blown leaves.

Ninety-five years old
Grand and great-grandchildren
A son and daughter,
Winter winds call her name
In a long-gone husband's voice.

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10 Comments:

Blogger Roswila said...

I especially like the closing image in the third's last two lines. As a getting-older lady myself, I can fully appreciate all of these, though. :-D

The second one puts me in mind of this one I wrote on a recent train trip:

window seat
a speeding landscape obscured
by the inner eye

11/06/2007 11:07 AM  
Blogger Plain Foolish said...

Roswila, thank you for the haiku. It's made even stronger for me by the fact that I'm going to visit her next by train, and have been strictly charged to remember everything - "every last detail, darling" - about the trip. "Going Pullman?! They'll treat you like a queen, my dear, a queen."

11/06/2007 12:39 PM  
Blogger Annie Jeffries said...

The loneliness here speaks to my own mixed feelings about approaching age.

11/06/2007 3:16 PM  
Blogger Jo said...

Absolutely superb.....heartbreaking but superb.

11/06/2007 10:40 PM  
Blogger Crafty Green Poet said...

Lovely and sad at the same time. I love the haiku and the last two lines of the tanka

11/07/2007 12:54 AM  
Blogger Judy Brutz said...

touching and deep, thank you

11/07/2007 7:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Achingly lovely; a beautiful soul reflected.

11/07/2007 8:50 AM  
Blogger megan said...

Winter winds call her name
In a long-gone husband's voice.

this is REALLY well done

11/10/2007 7:08 AM  
Blogger Tumblewords: said...

oh, so beautiful!

11/13/2007 1:16 PM  
Blogger Plain Foolish said...

Thank you all. This set was particularly close to my heart.

11/15/2007 9:49 AM  

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